AI model comparison
gpt-oss-20b vs GPT-4.1 Nano
Pricing, context window, benchmarks, and features compared side by side. Or skip the guesswork and send one prompt to both.
OpenAI
gpt-oss-20b
gpt-oss-20b is an open-weight 21B parameter model released by OpenAI under the Apache 2.0 license.
- Input / 1M
- $0.02
- Output / 1M
- $0.09
- Context
- 131K
OpenAI
GPT-4.1 Nano
For tasks that demand low latency, GPT‑4.1 nano is the fastest and cheapest model in the GPT-4.1 series.
- Input / 1M
- $0.10
- Output / 1M
- $0.40
- Context
- 1.05M
At a glance
Quick verdict
How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.
Lower price
gpt-oss-20b
4.9x cheaper for a typical chat
Higher intelligence score
gpt-oss-20b
10 vs 7.8 on Artificial Analysis
Larger context window
GPT-4.1 Nano
1.05M vs 131K tokens
Newer release
gpt-oss-20b
Released August 5, 2025
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores
Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.
Intelligence index
gpt-oss-20b10GPT-4.1 Nano7.8Coding index
gpt-oss-20bNot availableGPT-4.1 Nano11.1Agentic index
gpt-oss-20bNot availableGPT-4.1 NanoNot availablePricing
gpt-oss-20b vs GPT-4.1 Nano API pricing
Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.
| Metric | gpt-oss-20b | GPT-4.1 Nano |
|---|---|---|
| Input tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.02 | $0.10 |
| Output tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.09 | $0.40 |
| Cached input (read)Per 1M tokens | $0.01 | $0.03 |
| Cache writePer 1M tokens | Not available | Not available |
| Web searchPer request | Not available | $0.01 |
What it costs in practice
Estimated cost per 1,000 requests at standard rates. Coding and long-document figures also show the cost when the input is already cached.
Chat message
2K in, 500 out
gpt-oss-20b$0.08GPT-4.1 Nano$0.40Coding task
30K in, 4K out
gpt-oss-20b$0.90$0.63 cachedGPT-4.1 Nano$4.60$2.35 cachedLong document summary
150K in, 2K out
gpt-oss-20b$2.88$1.53 cachedGPT-4.1 Nano$15.80$4.55 cachedSpecs
Context window and capabilities
How much each model can read, how much it can write, and what it accepts as input.
| Metric | gpt-oss-20b | GPT-4.1 Nano |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 131K tokens | 1.05M tokens |
| Max output | 33K tokens | 33K tokens |
| Input types | Text | File, Image, Text |
| Output types | Text | Text |
| Reasoning effort levels | High, Medium, Low | Not available |
| Default reasoning effort | Medium | Not available |
| Release date | August 5, 2025 | April 14, 2025 |
Features
Supported features
API features available for each model.
| Metric | gpt-oss-20b | GPT-4.1 Nano |
|---|---|---|
| Tool calling | Supported | Supported |
| Structured outputs | Supported | Supported |
| JSON mode | Supported | Supported |
| Reasoning | Supported | Not supported |
| Temperature | Supported | Supported |
| Stop sequences | Supported | Not supported |
| Deterministic seed | Supported | Supported |
| Verbosity control | Not supported | Not supported |
Keep exploring
More on these models
Other head-to-heads, the full model page, and the alternatives list for each model.
GPT-4.1 NanoView full model details- GPT-4.1 Nano vs Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs GPT-6 Luna Pro
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs gpt-oss-120b
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs GPT-4o-mini
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs GPT-5 Nano
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs Gemma 3 27B
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs Qwen3 30B A3B Instruct 2507
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs Llama 3.3 70B Instruct
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs Llama 4 Scout
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs Nemotron 3 Nano 30B A3B
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs Qwen2.5 72B Instruct
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs Solar Pro 3
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs Qwen3 30B A3B
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs Nova Lite 1.0
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs Llama 3.1 70B Instruct
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
- GPT-4.1 Nano vs GPT-3.5 Turbo
Our take
gpt-oss-20b is 4.9x cheaper for a typical chat. gpt-oss-20b scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (10 vs 7.8). GPT-4.1 Nano has the larger context window (1.05M vs 131K tokens). The right pick depends on your workload, so the quickest way to settle it is to send the same prompt to both and compare.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is gpt-oss-20b or GPT-4.1 Nano cheaper?
gpt-oss-20b is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). gpt-oss-20b costs $0.02 per 1M input tokens and $0.09 per 1M output tokens, while GPT-4.1 Nano costs $0.10 per 1M input tokens and $0.40 per 1M output tokens.
Which has a bigger context window, gpt-oss-20b or GPT-4.1 Nano?
GPT-4.1 Nano supports up to 1.05M tokens of context, compared with 131K for gpt-oss-20b.
Is gpt-oss-20b smarter than GPT-4.1 Nano?
On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, gpt-oss-20b scores 10 and GPT-4.1 Nano scores 7.8, putting gpt-oss-20b ahead. Benchmarks don't capture everything, so the best test is running your own prompts through both.
Can I use gpt-oss-20b and GPT-4.1 Nano at the same time?
Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see gpt-oss-20b and GPT-4.1 Nano answer side by side and keep the better response.
Why choose? Ask both.
Send one prompt to gpt-oss-20b and GPT-4.1 Nano at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.